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Exclusive DetailsBrooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko Spotted Kissing Backstage at ‘DWTS’ as Romance Rumors Heat Up
It looks like things are continuing to heat up between Dancing With the Stars partners Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko! A backstage video from the show’s Tuesday, September 24, live show showed the two sharing a quick kiss while preparing to take the stage for their dance.
“They were kissing after practicing their dance backstage,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style. “Brooks also had her arm around Gleb. He looked very comfortable with her that way. They look like they are definitely a thing. It’s very clear something is going on with them.”
Fans first started speculating that a romance was brewing between Gleb, 41, and Brooks, 27, when they posted a cozy photo together during rehearsals before the show’s September 17 premiere. In the pic, Brooks was sitting on Gleb’s lap, with their hands intimately placed on each other’s thighs. The picture went viral and other DWTS pairs even got in on the fun by recreating the image themselves.
However, the Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit model and pro dancer have played coy about the rumors. “We were trying to get into character,” Brooks explained to Life & Style, referring to the backstage kiss. “It’s all about the dancing. It’s all about the performances. We practiced so hard, we had to rehearse. We spend so many hours a day together. We have a great chemistry, great relationship, friendship.”
Gleb jumped in and added, “She’s really cool, actually. You haven’t noticed that? She’s really cool.”
The pair also shared a kiss in rehearsal footage, as Gleb admitted, “I’m trying to teach the quickstep but it’s hard because she’s distracting.” However, he told the judges that the PDA was simply them trying to get into character for the dance. Meanwhile, Brooks weighed in on the public speculation about the duo’s relationship status, adding, “That doesn’t make me mad at all.”
Ahead of the Dancing With the Stars premiere, Gleb publicly denied that he and Brooks were dating, although he did call his season 33 partner “great” and confirmed that they have “amazing” chemistry on the dance floor.
Gleb was previously married to fellow pro dancer Elena Samodanova, whom he shares two daughters with. The pair tied the knot in 2006 but announced their separation in November 2020. One month later, she filed for divorce, and it was finalized the following year. In 2023, Elena, 39, and the girls moved to Hong Kong.
Brooks married Billy Haire in 2018 but they split just four years later. In June, she brought Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece to Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey’s wedding. The following month, she was briefly linked to Tom Brady, with a source telling People, “They’ve been hooking up this summer, having rendezvous in different cities. It’s casual. She has a very active social calendar and likes to party and Tom is often with the kids and doesn’t like the nightlife scene.”
However, two other sources denied that the stars were an item. Brooks and Tom, 47, have not addressed the romance rumors.
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